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What’s Old Is New Again

At Total Wine & More, we’re kicking off a two-week celebration of Old World wines in stores and online. While big names like Bordeaux and Chianti may immediately come to mind, we strive to educate our customers on how big the Old World really is, and how much it has to offer.

When we talk about Old World wine, we mean Europe – countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Germany – which are home to some of the world’s oldest and greatest winemaking regions. In short, “Old World” is often applied to places that are known for their age-old winemaking practices, but it can also describe the soil, climate and topography – or terroir – of Old World regions.

And while we love wines from marquee areas (Bordeaux will always hold a place in our hearts), the Old World has so much more to offer.

France has more than 400 officially designated wine appellations, or appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), and many are often overlooked. Alsace is a perfect example. Nestled on the border between France and Germany, the area achieved AOC status in 1962.

Much like France, Europe’s other wine titan, Italy, boasts hundreds of winemaking appellations, and many have a similar story to Alsace—producing great wines that are too often overlooked. While Chianti and Barolo share the limelight, the country has so much more to offer, from Lambrusco and Asti, party-perfect sparkling wines, to Dolcetto and Nero d’Avola, red wines that are easy to fall in love with.

And then there are Old World countries like Spain, Portugal, Austria and Germany, where the wines are coming into their own in the modern era. Thanks to Cava, Tempranillo and Garnacha, Spain is no longer the sum of its Sangria. With the rise of Riesling, Germany and Austria have received much-deserved attention, and Portugal’s Douro Valley has become a hot spot for exceptional red blends.

The Old World is a big place and we want to help you explore it. Stop by Total Wine & More or shop online and you’ll have it at your fingertips.